One of my first captures with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II of a seagull. This Black and White version captured the drama of the moment beautifully. Looks great against black.
Bad Times for Murdoch
Last month, The Times introduced a controversial new “paywall”, demanding paid subscription to access its content, losing almost 90% of its online readership in the process, according to the Guardian.
This mass exodus of users could simply be a knee-jerk reaction to having the rug pulled from under them, after all - they’ve been spoiled with this free content for so long now, it’s only natural to feel some pang of betrayal when it’s snatched away.
Portrait of my niece Tabitha, another test shot with my dad’s old 1960’s Helios 44-2 58mm f/2.0 lens. Looks great against black.
Farewell to WordPress
Well, I finally switched to Tumblr as my blogging platform. WordPress was becoming bloated with features I never used, and is an absolute spam magnet.
I don’t post nearly as often as I’d like, so the last thing I need is a tool that actually makes my life more difficult! Tumblr on the other hand is simple, lightweight, and has a range of cool tools and widgets to extend it if you wish.
Hopefully this will make it easier to voice my thoughts more often!
Update: I only wish they would speed up the dashboard - it’s taking an age to open!
Test shot taken with my Canon EOS 450D mounted with the Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 prime lens from my dad’s old Zenit E, made in Russia some 50-odd years ago.
This vintage glass really puts my modern Canon lenses to shame. It’s a little tight (about 92mm) on my APS-C camera body, but it makes a beautiful portrait and close-up lens. Looks great against black.
Augmented Reality on Bing Maps
Last month, Microsoft’s Blaise Aguera y Arcas gave a brilliant demonstration of Bing Maps’ new augmented reality features at TED. With technologies like Surface, Skinput and Project Natal, Microsoft are increasingly one of the most interesting and exciting companies in the user experience space.
PokerStars online TV portal goes live
Almost a year in the making, from initial planning to final delivery, PokerStars.tv 2.0 was finally unleashed on a hungry public this week, raising the bar for online poker experiences the world over.
Those clever folks at Microsoft have done it again! (no, really)
Yes, that’s one ‘C’ word I never thought I’d use to describe the company who brought us Vista, but whilst leaving the office juniors to plot the next thrilling episode of Internet Explorer, Microsoft have been beavering away on something I find genuinely exciting.
"If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
— Red Adair
Adobe to Bring (Smart/i)Phone App Development to the Masses
When I heard about this, I was filled with two overwhelming (and yet conflicting) emotions. The announcement that Adobe AIR is to support Smartphone platforms (Blackberry and Android for starters), along with support for publishing iPhone applications came as a breath of fresh air in an arena fraught with difficulty and unnecessary repetition of effort. And yet, somehow I found it hard to feel giddy or excited about it.
The Paradox of Innovative User Experience
As a User Experience designer, I face an impossible catch-22 on a daily basis. On one hand, I have an obligation to my stockholders and clients to create experiences that actually, genuinely work. Every time I craft a proposal, I commit myself indelibly to the delivery of a piece of work that will generate more revenue, attract more targeted traffic or increase social engagement with a brand.
"You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do."
— Henry Ford
Universal principles of design
I often come across the assumption that because daily business revolves around a specific medium, one’s design expertise is limited only to that discipline. By day, my primary focus is on designing engaging user experiences for the web, but I don’t consider myself to be a web designer. In my mind, design is far, far broader than that.
Javascript: Designer or Developer?
I’ve come across a number of conflicting opinions when it comes to where Javascript belongs in the website production workflow. Personally, I find working with Javascript both infuriating and rewarding, but is it a developer’s job, or is it a design thing?
Size Isn’t Everything
I’m sure most designers and design agencies, particularly on the web, harbour an unshakable desire to work with the biggest brands in the world. I’m sure most of us have dreamed, at one time or another, of landing a high profile account with the likes of Nike, Coca-Cola or Samsung. For most of us, this represents the pinnacle of our profession; The bigger, the better. But I’m not sure that’s true.
